It is known in the seafood industry to utilize clam meat including surf clams for various purposes such as fried clams, clam chowder and the like. This invention will be described in relation to the surf clam (Spisula solidissima) but it should be understood that all suitable clams irrespective of their specie will be included within the scope of this invention.
In general, the clam is made up of main parts or principal components referred to as muscles, tongues (or foot), straps and siphons. Of these parts, the largest meat portion (about one-half of the clam) is the foot which is usually sliced up or chopped and used for various food dishes such as clam strips or clam chowder. Heretofore, no method is known where the clam foot is used as a large or one-piece cooked food product since it is too tough and would be difficult to be easily consumed. Thus, the foot, a main portion of the clam, must be sliced or chopped or otherwise severed so as to be easily and conveniently eaten.
There are methods for preparing clams for consumption, some are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,808,612; 3,230,578; 3,460,192; 3,646,638; 3,659,315; 3,964,131 and 4,279,934. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,612 (Snow) an apparatus is disclosed for washing and otherwise preparing the clam for consumption. The Snow patent describes generally a method for cleaning the clam by holding the clam meats in suspension during the pre-wash. The clam meats are then removed by sluicing the water containing them through a port in the side of a tank and onto a perforated tray where the wash water is drained away leaving the washed, drained clam meats ready to be cleaned. The cleaned meats, including the foot, are then subjected to a final washing and thereafter are again drained and subsequently ground, sliced or chopped ready for consumption, canning, or freezing. In the Marvin et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,578 an apparatus is disclosed for recovering the flesh from clams without noticeably cooking the flesh. In Marvin et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,192 an apparatus for removing clam flesh is disclosed wherein the clam flesh is stretched and severed as it passes through stripper bars. In Snow U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,638 a method for preparing clams for consumption is disclosed wherein a portion of the clam is selectively removed by squeezing that part from the remainder of the clam. In Finley U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,315 a method for cleaning and preparing clams for consumption is disclosed. Finley describes a method for separating the visceral material from the clam, separating it from the clam meat, washing it and then chopping or cutting the clam meat into small pieces or slices. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,131 to Snow a method is disclosed for removing viscera from the tongue (or foot) of the clam. Since the tongue is the main flesh portion of the clam, Snow recognizes that it is important to improve the commercial value and appearance of the tongue by ridding it of unwanted viscera. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,934 (Hutchinson et al) the conventional preparation of clams for consumption is described. Hutchinson teaches that in the conventional preparation of clams for consumption or canning the clams are shucked, debellied, washed and cut or sliced into suitable sized pieces.
None of these references disclose using the tongue or foot of the clam as a one-piece food product.